Double Date
by ZePuKa
Summary: Marinette couldn't be more excited for the dance. Alya was going to be the photographer so she didn't have to worry about embarrassing photos - for there was bound to be embarrassment. How could she keep her cool when THE Adrien Agreste was her date? There was just one problem: the night of the dance was the same night Ladybug and Cat Noir were supposed to go on their 1st patrol.
1. Part 1: The Invitation

_**WARNING**_ **: This fic is episode 2 in the '** **Luck and Lies** **' mini-series I'm writing**. You are welcome to read this as an individual story without reading episode 1 first – I divided the stories up in a way that they -could- be stand alones. Thus any relevant plot points from episode 1 will be rehashed here so you don't have to go back and read episode 1. However this means that if you do ever feel like reading episode 1, you will know a few spoilers after reading this fic. The choice is yours. If you choose to read episode 1 first, look for "Bitter Truth" on my author profile.

 **Opening Remarks:**

Happy Easter everyone! I'm so glad you decided to read this fic! Whether you're a returning reader (from Bitter Truth) or a new one, I hope you like it!

* * *

 **Double Date  
** _Part 1: The Invitation_

"You did WHAT!?"

"Marinette, calm yourself," Sabine soothed, worried her daughter would soon hyperventilate, "All we did was invite him to dinner."

"Yeah, but – " The frazzled teen protested, grasping her forehead in an attempt to stop her thoughts from reeling.

"You know our rules, sweetheart." Tom interrupted, voice firm but warm, "Any boy taking you out on a date has to spend a little time talking to us first."

"Yeah, but – "

"Besides," Sabine interjected, "That boy clearly needs some good home cooking."

"Mom! He's a _model_ , he won't let you fatten him up!"

"Model or not, he still needs to eat." Sabine asserted with finality, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but – "

"And," Tom began, also crossing his arms, "If we're going to be interrogating him anyway, he might feel a little less nervous about it if there's food involved."

Snorting in frustration that she'd hardly gotten a word in edge-wise, Marinette rushed, "But this is _Adrien_ ; you guys have talked with him plenty of times already!"

"He hasn't taken you on a date until now." Her father stated, like it was the most logical conclusion in the world.

"For the last time, it's NOT a _date_!" Marinette wailed, hands pulling at her face in frustration.

"He's escorting you to your school's autumn dance." Sabine deadpanned, eyes narrowed in accusation.

"We decided to go as _friends._ FRIEND-SSSSS" Marinette insisted, emphasizing the last word in two separate syllables like she was spelling it out for a child. Why her parents couldn't grasp this concept at their advanced age, she had no clue.

Her parents gave no answer, stern glances only occasionally broken by an amused grin. Marinette couldn't be absolutely certain that they were only teasing, however, so she added, "Besides, _I'm_ the one who asked Adrien to go, so if anything, I'm the one escorting him!"

"Rules are rules, sweetheart." Tom finished, letting her know the discussion was over by turning and proceeding to let himself out of her bedroom. "Besides, the invitation has already been extended and accepted, so be sure you're ready for dinner by five that day."

Marinette found the blood draining from her face as the possible outcomes – all horrible - of the impending event flooded her mind. Her mother paused only to smile reassuringly before she too exited the room. She stood, frozen in place, thinking of any possible way to make this situation go away, but came up empty every time.

"Marinette?" A high-pitched voice addressed the dazed girl, prompting her to snap out of it.

"Oh… Sorry, Tikki… Was I out of it long?" Marinette asked, for it felt like both an instant and an eternity had just passed.

With a giggle, the friendly kwami responded, "No more than usual."

"What am I gonna do, Tikki? This is such a nightmare!"

* * *

"You've come to the right place, girl." Alya affirmed, spinning in her office chair and leaning back to make herself comfortable. The tone in Marinette's voice indicated that this would take a while. Reaching up to adjust the camera on her computer so that she'd still be in-frame for the duration of the video call, Alya began, "There's no need to panic; it's just dinner."

"But, Alya, my parents might say embarrassing things about me, or make Adrien really uncomfortable with suggestive or prying questions, or - !" Marinette spewed, the intensity in her voice building with each word.

"Girl." Alya cut in, giving Marinette 'the look'. It was the look a mom would give her misbehaving children, with narrowed eyes and a cocked eyebrow, letting them know that if the children didn't quiet themselves NOW, they might not live to see what happened next. Alya prided herself on her mastery of it, having had years of practice while babysitting her younger siblings.

"Sorry…" Marinette breathed sheepishly, "It's just that… I mean, YOU know that I decided to give up and move on from my crush on Adrien, but my parents don't seem to believe it. If anything, they believe that I've made _progress_ or something."

"Well I mean, you have…" Alya conceded, gesturing in her agreement with the Dupain-Chengs, "Now you can actually form sentences around the guy and he's started opening up more to you in response."

"I know, but that's only BECAUSE I decided to focus on being a FRIEND. FR-IEND."

Leaning forward in her seat, Alya pressed with a more serious tone, "Don't get me wrong, I'm super proud of you for the self-control you've shown… but I have to ask… is your heart _really_ okay with this?"

"Well…" Marinette began, timidly playing with a loose piece of her hair, "It's not like you can just tell your heart to stop loving someone and have it listen immediately… But honestly, it's been a little easier than I thought it would be, and I think part of that is because of how well Adrien's responded to being thought of and treated as just a friend."

"Part?" Alya inquired, a quizzical turn in her brow, "'Part' implies that there's something else at play. So spill."

* * *

Marinette winced, kicking herself for her poor choice of words. Why had she said it that way? Lately, Marinette couldn't make heads or tails of her own thoughts, and sometimes it was maddening. She knew there was no way out of this situation… Her friend's insatiable appetite for mystery was piqued and nothing short of the truth would quell it. But how was she supposed to verbalize what she herself didn't understand? Particularly when it involved the secret, Ladybug-side of her life? ' _Well… I learned the hard way that it's best to be honest… Guess I'll just tell her what I do know… maybe she could even help fill in the blanks.'_

"To be completely honest," Marinette began, biting her lip in apprehension. She knew Alya always had her back, but it was still a bit scary, being vulnerable… "I'm not entirely sure what's going on with this 'part' myself, but there's this other friend of mine I've known for awhile… Shortly after I decided to be just friends with Adrien, this other guy and I had a fight of some sort…"  
 _'Not a fight WITH him… but a fight with an akuma that separated us nonetheless…'_

"Does this 'other guy' have a name?" Alya inquired, practically bouncing with giddy anticipation.

"What are you getting so worked up for?" Marinette stalled, hoping Alya would take the bait. She didn't want to outright lie to her friend when she was trying to be completely honest, but 'Cat Noir', nor any variant therein, would pass for a normal name.

"Girl, as your best friend, it is my DUTY to get worked up over your love life!"

"'Love'!?" Marinette squeaked, face turning red at the frightening word.

"Chill girl, forget I said it. I'm clearly getting ahead of you. Back up, take a breath, and tell me what his name is."

"Er…" Marinette mumbled, heart still pounding from the mention of the word she hereby banned herself from thinking or saying. Knowing that Alya would keep demanding to know the name until she gave it – or rather, any name… any name would do, right? – Marinette recalled a name from a book she read recently and blurted, "Felix. His name is Felix."

"Alright, so… You and Felix were in a fight… then what happened?"

"Well… he sort of disappeared from my life for awhile, and I wasn't sure I'd ever see him again…" Marinette's eyes clouded at the memory, the anguish she had felt still fresh in her mind, "I don't know why, but somehow, the 'getting over Adrien' thing didn't seem like quite as big a deal, you know?"

"You mean, after realizing you didn't know what you had 'til it was gone, you realized that Felix might mean more to you than you originally thought?" Alya confirmed, voicing what Marinette had been struggling to.

Eyes wide in surprise, Marinette asked, "How did you know? I've been so confused about it all…"

"Girl, when your dream is to be a reporter, you learn to read people better than they can read themselves."

"But… is it even possible to like two guys at once?"

"Of course, Marinette! It happens all the time! You just need to decide which one – Adrien or Felix – to invest in. Until you decide, your heart will continue to feel confused."

"But, didn't I already decide on _not_ Adrien?"

"You made the initial decision, sure, but you haven't fully let go of him yet… If you had, you wouldn't be worried about him having dinner with your family."

"Alya…" Marinette began, gaping in awe of her friend's analysis, "Have you ever considered becoming a psychiatrist?"

"Well, I _am_ a girl of many talents," the brunette answered, leaning back in her chair and positioning her hands in a 'and how does that make you feel?' posture, "But just like choosing who to love, one must also choose which career path they love most, and I've already decided on journalism. As for you, based on what you've told me, I think you're well on your way to choosing Felix; you just need time to get over Adrien."

Marinette blushed at the thought she'd avoided entertaining…. Her… with Cat Noir? It seemed so ridiculous, and yet… "But how am I supposed to completely get over Adrien? I decided I'd do so, but it's so much harder as I'm getting to know him better and my parents keep teasing…"

Alya nodded in understanding, then lit up as an idea struck her, "You know, them thinking it's more than friendship could actually work in your favor."

"Huh? How so?"

"Think about it… If they want to encourage you guys to date, then they're gonna be on their best behavior at dinner so as not to scare him off or make you clam up. I think they're just having a bit of fun, flustering you beforehand."

"I dunno… Even if you're right, their idea of 'best behavior' is still going to be awkward and embarrassing."

"Quit overthinking it, Marinette… I think you should just focus on the positive here… Friend date or romantic date, you scored _A_ date with Adrien-freaking-Agreste! I mean, can you imagine the look on Chloe's face when she sees you two together at the dance!? You know how hard she was trying to get him to go with her!"

Smirking to match Alya's, Marinette's tune changed as she considered her friend's perspective. "Well… you do make a good point…"

"Of course I do."

"And you'll be sure to get plenty of photographic evidence that it actually happened, right?"

"You know it! I'll even throw in a few unflattering shots of Chloe!"

"Hehe, you have NO idea how relieved I am that you're one of the photographers for the dance. Every school event in the past managed to either catch me at my worst moments or not get any pictures of me at all!"

"Well your luck is about to change! Oo! Have you decided which dress you'll be wearing?"

The two girls prattled on late into the night, planning every little detail of the dance, down to each accessory and conversation point.

* * *

Yawning, Marinette crawled into bed, purposely avoiding checking the time. Tomorrow was a school day, yet she and Alya had stayed up to some ungodly hour, so she figured she was better off not knowing how much sleep she _wasn't_ going to get.

Settling in, she tried to ignore the whispers of the kwami that now pierced her drowsy consciousness.

"Marinette!" Tikki insisted, voice growing louder.

Groaning, Marinette complained, "Can't it wait 'til morning?"

"Based on how excited you two girls sounded, I don't think so. You haven't forgotten already that you're double booked this Saturday night, have you?"

If she was being completely honest, Marinette would have admitted that that particular little detail had been pushed to the side during her emotional upheaval. She'd been so freaked out by the announcement that Adrien would be coming for dinner before the dance, and then caught up in giddy girl talk with Alya, that she'd nearly forgotten about that one little detail Tikki was complaining about.

"Of course not," Marinette fibbed, "But it's not like I can talk about my scheduling conflicts as Ladybug with Alya… We're supposed to be two different people!"

"Well unless you really do manage to become two different people," Tikki reasoned, "I fail to see how you're going to go to the dance with Adrien while you're supposed to be going on patrol with Cat Noir at the same time."

"I'll manage. I just need to change the rendezvous point with Cat Noir to somewhere really close to the school so I can alternate between locations periodically."

"Marinette, don't you think you'll be stretched too thin that way? And won't Adrien and Cat Noir get suspicious? I mean, what if one of them follows you when you're going to meet the other?"

"It'll be fine. Adrien's popular, so I'm sure he'll make small talk with others while I'm away. And Cat Noir is no stray. I've got his bell wrapped around my finger; he'll follow my orders to the letter."

"I still think you should cancel your plans with one of them." Tikki insisted.

"I can't do that, Tikki…" Marinette muttered, eyes suddenly downcast, "Adrien's just started opening up to us more, and Alya will be busy with photography and Nino is DJ-ing… I don't want him thinking his friends are abandoning him just as he's started trusting us more. And Cat Noir…"

Marinette paused, instinctively looking out her window towards the night sky, as though she expected his face to appear in the stars, Cheshire-cat grin wide as his eyes twinkled and winked. To be honest, she didn't know what to think of her crime-fighting partner anymore. But she did know one thing: after nearly losing him forever, she knew she never wanted to let him go. The scare had prompted her to initiate 'patrols', though her true plan was to encourage friendly bonding. Her hopes were that if they got to know one another better, they would not only be a better crime-fighting team, but they would also be able to help support one another emotionally when the other was going through a hard time. By doing so, they would hopefully avoid compromising situations like the one Hawk Moth had gotten them into with a recent akuma villain.

Marinette shuddered at the memory, still not fully recovered from the trauma it had caused. She'd nearly been robbed of her miraculous, Cat Noir HAD been robbed of his miraculous, and thus she had been partner-less for ten days, not knowing if she'd ever have a partner again… or if she'd ever see _her_ Cat Noir ever again. For the first time in her year-long Ladybug career, she'd genuinely felt fear. The day she and Cat Noir were finally reunited was honestly one of the best days of her life. She'd been so caught up in the moment, she'd arranged for their first ever patrol haphazardly, forgetting the school dance entirely.

Breaking out of her reverie, Marinette finished, "I just can't cancel my first patrol with Cat Noir… Not when he nearly gave up the job. That stupid cat probably still thinks it was his fault his miraculous was stolen in the first place. If I cancel now he'll probably convince himself that I wasn't serious about wanting him to stay my partner."

Sighing, Tikki abated, "Your heart is in the right place, Marinette… But I still worry that you've bitten off more than you can chew."

"But I've got you to help me chew, don't I?" Marinette asked, turning to face her spotted friend with a sleepy smile.

Unable to stop herself from smiling back tenderly, Tikki affirmed, "Always".

* * *

"Be reasonable, Plagg!" Adrien pleaded dramatically, exasperated with his kwami.

"Why?" Plagg asked, tone mocking as he hovered just out of Adrien's reach, "You stopped being reasonable when you agreed to go on a patrol with Ladybug when you already agreed to go to the dance with Marinette the same night."

Adrien huffed in annoyance as he positioned himself to take another lunge at the cat kwami. Plagg had confiscated his computer mouse and was waving it about tauntingly, holding it in ransom to get Adrien to cancel his dinner plans with the Dupain-Chengs. He'd been none-too-happy while he agreed to the invitation earlier that evening.

" _Adrien, there's a Mr. Dupain on line 1 for you." Nathalie informed, pushing the telephone towards the confused teen._

" _What does Marinette's father want with me?" Adrien asked, hoping to garner a little insight before answering. It was odd enough that he was getting a call at all on the house line. If anyone needed to contact him, they'd always called or texted his cell phone directly. It was further puzzling that it was Mr. Dupain calling him… He had no business with the man as far as he knew, and if it was related to Marinette, surely he could've asked her for Adrien's cell phone number instead of calling the house line provided in the school directory._

 _When Nathalie only shrugged in response, Adrien picked up the phone and answered with a tentative, "…Hello?"_

" _Ah, Adrien, I presume? This is Tom Dupain, Marinette's father."_

" _Yes. How may I help you, Mr. Dupain?"_

" _My, you are a polite one!" A feminine voice chimed in, and Adrien could only assume it was Sabine, Marinette's mother._

" _Oh, I hope you don't mind, Adrien; you're on speaker phone so my wife can hear you too."_

" _O-of course not." Adrien answered, though he had to admit to himself that though he didn't technically mind, he was nervous as heck, still at a loss as to why Marinette's parents were calling him. "Good evening, Mrs. Cheng."_

 _After the light chuckling incited by his greeting dwindled, Adrien listened as Tom explained their purpose for calling. "Sabine and I wanted to invite you to have dinner with us and Marinette before you two go to the dance this Saturday."_

 _Adrien relaxed immediately. So that was all they'd wanted? Now that he'd heard their request, it made perfect sense. Why again had he been so worried?_

" _Of course, if it's alright with your father." Sabine amended, sinking Adrien's prior elation at the invitation. His father didn't even know he was going to the dance, how was he going to get permission to go to dinner before it?_

 _It seemed Nathalie had been listening in via her earpiece, for she motioned for him to put the Dupain-Chengs on hold. "Er, hold on a moment; I'll get right back to you." Adrien promised before pushing the hold button._

" _Adrien, if you want to go have dinner with them, I'll tell them you have permission to go." Nathalie instructed, surprising him. He'd been starting to think that the secretary was developing something of a mothering instinct, for this was the second time she'd greatly surprised him recently. Back when he'd needed to get a parental consent form to register for the school dance, she'd forged his father's signature for him since the form was due the next day and Gabriel had insisted he was too busy to even take five minutes to look at it and sign it._

" _Your father already thinks you're going to a mid-term study session at the school that night, I can just tell him that you decided to go straight from your piano lesson to the study session, grabbing dinner on the way."_

 _Beaming in gratitude, Adrien could only whisper, "Thank you, Nathalie! I'll make it up to you someday!" He felt a jab to his side after he said so, but ignored it, thinking Plagg was just getting impatient for dinner._

 _Nathalie only nodded in response, face still stoic despite the warmth of compassion she'd just showed in covering for him._

 _Taking the phone once more, Adrien depressed the hold button and gave his answer. He felt another pinch as he did so, this one angrier than the last. It appeared that Plagg didn't like the idea of going to dinner, and it was probably because they most likely would not have Camembert on the menu._

" _Wonderful!" Tom and Sabine cried in unison, and Adrien couldn't help but smile. He imagined they must have a happy marriage to be able to achieve perfect unity like that. A happy marriage like his own parents once had, if his faint and fuzzy recollections of long ago could be trusted. His smile faltered ever so slightly as he lamented the fact that those memories were only memories, if even that… Given how things were now, he doubted the existence of such happy memories… maybe they had only been dreams…_

" _So how does five o'clock sound?" Sabine questioned, pulling him out of his thoughts._

" _Oh, uh… I've got a piano lesson at four, so I probably won't be able to get there until five-thirty."_

" _Five-thirty it is!" Tom bellowed, "We'll see you then!"_

" _Have a good night, Adrien!" Sabine called, and Adrien could perfectly imagine the kind farewell in her eyes as she said it._

" _Wait!" he cried, hoping they'd hear him before they hung up. "What should I bring?" He'd heard that people usually brought food to share to parties and gatherings, but he wasn't sure what the proper etiquette was for a family meal. He hoped he hadn't just sounded completely naïve… maybe it wasn't customary to bring food… maybe he was supposed to bring something else? He really had no clue, and was beginning to curse his sheltered upbringing. The only bright spot in the midst of his panic was that they couldn't see him blush over the phone._

" _All you need to bring is your appetite!" Sabine answered cheerily, and Adrien was once again relieved of his prior panic._

" _Unless of course you want to bring some flowers or something for Marinette." Tom piped in with amusement in his tone, like his eyes were twinkling with humor as he said it._

 _Adrien felt his cheeks warm at the suggestion, suspecting it was teasing in nature, but he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, it was completely customary and not related at all to the tradition of bringing flowers to your first 'meet-the-parents' date. "Er, I guess I could do that." The flustered teen responded nervously, hand brushing his neck as he did so._

" _Only if you want to; no pressure." Tom clarified, "We'll see you soon! Have a great night!" Mr. Dupain hung up the phone before Adrien had a chance to respond, so Adrien merely hung up the phone and bade Nathalie farewell. He needed to get to his room quickly, for there was a rather angry kwami in his shirt making angry little marks all over his skin with his pinching._

"Plagg!" Adrien rasped, worried that their cat-and-mouse antics might draw attention from the house's other occupants, "What's the big deal!? It's just dinner! You already agreed to help me switch between the dance attendance with Marinette and patrol with Ladybug! What's an extra hour or two out to you?"

"What's it to me?" Plagg asked rhetorically, taunting his bearer with a teasing dangle of the computer mouse, "With all the transformations you're expecting me to do, I need time to carb up before the game! And now you're trying to take that away from me… You'd starve your own kwami for the sake of a few pastries? I'm wounded, Adrien, truly."

Rolling his eyes at Plagg's dramatic monologue, Adrien nonetheless bit his tongue, for Plagg had often complained about Adrien's melodrama, so he shouldn't be one to talk. "Look, this is all doable, we just need to plan ahead." Adrien stated calmly, hoping that reason would reach through to his stubborn kwami. "We just need to, you know, stake out the area… Find you a good hiding place nearby where you can 'carb up' while I eat dinner with the Dupain-Chengs. We can establish a time and place to meet so I can meet up with Ladybug."

"But that requires even more work!" Plagg whined, "Why can't you just cancel your plans with Ladybug?"

Adrien paused his pursuit of the black demon as his guilt weighed heavy upon him, admitting, "I already screwed things up once, Plagg… I can't let Ladybug down now. Not when she decided to give me a second chance…"

"Ugh, fine… Guess I can't completely get out of duty for the evening… Cancel your plans with Marinette then. It'd at least be easier to keep you suited up as Cat Noir than transitioning back and forth all the time."

"But Plagg! She only just started speaking to me… You know, _really_ speaking to me, and I think her asking me if I wanted to go as friends was her way of signing our peace treaty or something. After a year of her being frightened of me, I don't want to screw up that friendship now by backing out of that."

"Kid, you've got serious people-pleasing issues." Plagg stated with a sigh, frustratingly pressing his paw to his forehead as though Adrien was giving him a headache.

Taking advantage of the fact the kwami had let his guard down, Adrien coiled himself and leapt at Plagg, snatching him out of the air and landing with all the grace of a cat on the arm of his couch. "Gotcha!" He shouted triumphantly, like he had just caught an akuma butterfly exactly like Ladybug.

"Aw, no fair." Plagg wailed as Adrien kept him in his clutches.

Prying the computer mouse from ebony paws, Adrien smirked in triumph, stating suavely, "All's fair in love and war."

"Aw, didn't know you cared so much." Plagg goaded, matching his bearer's smirk.

Releasing him, Adrien casually strode back to his computer and resumed his seat, smug grin still intact. "You know, Plagg, I'm not sure if you're rubbing off on me or if it's the other way around."

With a small 'harrumph!', Plagg flew off to sulk, leaving Adrien alone with his computer once again. The Ladyblog was pulled up, now advertising a new section dedicated to him – to Cat Noir. He'd been dancing around it for days – pulling up the Ladyblog, hovering his mouse over the image, staring at his own Cat-Noir face grinning playfully at him…. And yet he hadn't been able to bring himself to actually click yet, a part of him still worried he wouldn't like what he saw.

Alya had been bragging about the new section for awhile, and how she'd set up a 'Thank You' page where anyone could leave a message of gratitude for the feline hero. He still found it hard to believe that there were Parisians out there who actually thought he was doing a good job. Surely they'd seen right through him in the footage from that decisive battle… He'd chosen Ladybug over Paris, endangering them all. But Alya was a persistent little bugger, and kept dropping hints to him at school that he really needed to check it out, with those intense -knowing- looks and winks that made Marinette and Nino question what unspoken secret lay between them.

Ever since Alya had found out his dual identity, she'd been supporting him in her own way, which often caused awkward situations when they were with their other friends. In a way, he was grateful for her support, especially when he realized how hard it must be for her to keep the secret when she's got reporter in her DNA, but sometimes it felt like she'd put him on a leash when it came to things like this – subtly manipulating him into doing her bidding. He supposed she thought it was for his own good, but that didn't make it any less irritating. He -really- didn't want to look at the 'Thank You' wall… It was unmoderated, and there was sure to be a fair share of hate mail… and he deserved every last one.

Sighing as he pictured Alya's fuming face in school the next day when she was bound to ask him if he'd checked out the 'Thank You' wall yet, Adrien resigned himself to finally take the plunge.

Steeling himself, he held his breath as he clicked the mouse.

* * *

 **Closing Remarks:**

So if you wrote a thank you to Cat Noir on the Ladyblog, what would it say?

Sorry, this chapter is a bit of a tease… It mainly serves the purpose of setting up the story, particularly for those who haven't read Bitter Truth. Things will begin to take off in the next chapter!

' **Felix'** is the original name for the Cat Noir character used in the 2D PV for Miraculous Ladybug. I included it here as Marinette's chosen alias for Cat Noir as a little Easter egg for the more hardcore fans. After all, what's Easter with an Easter egg or two?

 _If you're curious how Alya found out that Adrien is Cat Noir, or how Cat Noir was without his miraculous for 10 days, or how Marinette decided to give up on her crush on Adrien, or how they made some progress in their friendship, check out my "_ _Bitter Truth_ _" story._

 **Tumblr  
** For updates on this and other stories, behind-the-scenes, Q&A, and general fangirling, check out my tumblr: zepuka DOT tumblr DOT com


	2. Part 2: The Confession

**Opening Remarks  
** Many thanks to **Tuvstarr's lost heart** (Author ID: 5179633) for beta-reading this for me! Be sure to check out some of her work when you get the chance! **  
**

* * *

 **Double Date  
** _Chapter 2: The Confession_

"See you later, Mom!" Marinette called as she rushed out the door, running late, as usual.

"Have a good day at school! Don't forget you need to help out in the café after school today!" Sabine yelled after her retreating daughter.

Marinette halted the moment the meaning of her mother's words hit her. "Wait, what?! I can't help after school, I've got plans with Alya!"

"Sweetie, we talked about this yesterday. Your father and I have some important errands to attend to and need someone to look after the shop while we're gone."

"But… The dance is TOMORROW night!" Marinette cried frantically, though she did feel a twinge of guilt for forgetting. She'd been so caught up in trying to plan everything out for Saturday's chaos, she'd neglected to manage today's schedule. "Alya's coming over for her dress fitting, and I need to make sure I have enough time before the dance to make any final alterations to it…"

Sighing as she wondered if her daughter would ever grow out of her forgetfulness, Sabine compromised, "Alright, I'll talk to your father about rearranging our plans, but this means you're going to have to man the store during your lunch break today so we can do our errands then."

"Thanks mom!" The bubbly teen bounced with glee, her pending academic tardiness already forgotten.

"Now shoo! You'll be late!" her mother chided, flicking her hand towards the door for emphasis.

"Oops! Leaving! Goodbye! Love you!"

* * *

"Whatever are you doing, Adrien?" Nathalie asked, eyebrows raised in perplexion.

The sight before her eyes was one of disarray: the fridge door was ajar, and all manner of edibles were arrayed along the counter, some of it mangled with chunks missing, and others hastily freed from their packaging. In the center of the counter was a breaded… creation, of sorts.

"I, uh, decided to pack a lunch today," Adrien explained sheepishly, evidence of his culinary escapades smudged on his face and hands. "So… I made a… sandwich?"

"Don't sandwiches only have two pieces of bread?"

"Er, well… I couldn't decide if I wanted a roast beef or ham sandwich… So I had this grand idea to make both and then combine the two… but then…"

Nathalie interrupted, having heard enough of his explanation, "Do you not plan on coming home for your lunch break as you usually do?"

"Um," the blond hesitated, hand nervously tugging at the back of his neck, "I… I thought I'd get some study time in at school in-between classes."

The questioning quirk in Nathalie's eyebrow told Adrien that she didn't buy his lie, so he braced himself for a reprimand. Instead, she startled him by replying, "If you want to have lunch with your friends every now and then, you don't have to lie about it. Just… let the chef prepare your lunch next time, alright?"

"Er, okay…" Adrien sheepishly replied. Her calm and almost-caring manner made him feel just that more guilty. He was still lying to the woman, for neither story was true. He had plans to do some reconnaissance during his lunch period, fulfilling his promise to Plagg to find him a suitable hiding place at the Dupain-Cheng household so he could 'carb up' before tomorrow night's balancing act. The sting of shame was especially sharp now that she'd been covering for him as of late. It felt like he was using her… But what could he do? Ladybug's rules were clear: NO ONE was to know about his secret identity. He already slipped up once on that count, now that Alya had found him out, and he was dreading how Ladybug was going to take the news… He had to tell her when they met for patrol, he knew that… but… What if that was the last straw and she turned him away forever?

"Well get yourself cleaned up, Adrien. Your father wouldn't want you showing up for school with mustard all over your face."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

Adrien stepped into his classroom with a glum look on his face, as he'd spent the entire ride to campus musing over how he should break the news to Ladybug that Alya was on to him. Should he even mention the name of who discovered him? Ladybug might not like the insight into his personal life, as it could give her clues to his secret identity, and she was just as adamant about keeping their identities hidden from each other as she was about keeping them concealed from the public. Yet Alya had gone and discovered him… But Alya couldn't be blamed for that, so he just had to man up and tell the story to Ladybug straight. She'd been interviewed for Alya's blog before, so with luck, she wouldn't even think that Alya could have a personal connection to his secret identity at all.

"Can you believe the nerve of this anon!?"

Well, speak of the devil… that was Alya talking now, and by the sound of it, she was worked up about something. She seemed rather engrossed in the display on her phone, as did Marinette, so neither of them paid him any mind as he took his seat in the row in front of them.

"No way! How can they say that about Cat Noir!?" Marinette protested, apparently stunned at what the anonymous poster had said.

"I know, right? The nerve! Why, if I could just get my hands on this person, I'd teach them a lesson or two! But get this, they also said, _'If Cat Noir isn't even capable of keeping his focus on the akuma, how is he going to effectively save Paris? Such a distracted person shouldn't call himself a super-hero.'_ "

"What!?" Marinette cried indignantly, and Adrien winced. He recognized those words, for they were his own. Last night, after skimming the _"Thank You"_ page and finding not even a single negative comment, he had decided to test and see if Alya just deleted any negative commentary from her Ladyblog. Surely that must be the only explanation as to why there hadn't been any hate comments left for him. So, he made one of his own, filled with his honest thoughts. He braced himself for the inevitable: Alya's announcement that yet another hateful comment was not welcome on her blog and was about to face her deletion wrath.

"I can't believe it either! I've never seen a roast on the 'Thank You' page until now, and I can't believe the nerve of this person to do so! Why, just you wait, this girl's gonna give this low-life a piece of her mind!"

Adrien froze at the unexpected words. Was his really the first? How could no one else have concerns about his abilities?

* * *

As Marinette read over the comment once more, she felt her anger rise and a dull ache settle in the depths of her heart. How DARE anyone say such untrue, spiteful things about her partner?! Especially when he was in such a precarious spot right now… All he ever did was try his hardest and follow his instincts for the benefit of everyone he cared about… and he cared about everyone. Maybe this anon hadn't seen it, but she had… A frightful thought crossed her mind: what if Cat Noir saw this comment? He was in such a fragile state right now; such bitter words could send him over the edge. She couldn't let that happen! He might pay no mind to it if Ladybug addressed the doubts before he let them sink in. He trusted Ladybug… so Ladybug should be the one to give 'anon' a piece of her mind.

"Hey, Alya… Would you mind if I replied to it?" Marinette asked timidly, for although she was fired up a moment ago, she found she was reluctant to follow through. She'd always had a habit of playfully downplaying him, so what she was about to do felt foreign. However, given the recent events, she would have to get used to being more open and kind to him, for she now knew his cocky exterior was just that: a shell, meant to mask his self-doubt.

* * *

"Huh? Oh… sure." Alya replied, handing over her phone. It was an automatic response, programmed by over a year of best friend dynamics, but now that she thought about it, it was a strange request. Marinette wasn't typically one to step up to the plate when it came to debates and conflict. Though lately, she had been a bit more open about the fact that she was a Cat Noir fan – a complete 180 from a year ago when she first got to meet him. But back then, she probably didn't know he was Adrien. Maybe now that she'd decided to treat Adrien as 'just-a-friend', she not only felt more comfortable around him, but also more comfortable in her outward support of Cat Noir – particularly after the scare they all had recently, thinking he might be gone for good.

As Marinette tapped furiously onto the phone's keyboard, Alya mused if tonight's dress fitting would be a good time to confront Marinette about knowing Cat Noir's secret identity. A part of her hesitated, as she had no concrete proof that Marinette knew, but the girl used to stalk Adrien, so there was no way she hadn't discovered his superhero identity... Not unless of course she just happened to be busy every single time that Adrien ran off to be Cat Noir, and the odds of that were next to none. The blogger had to suppress a chuckle over the irony that they both had presumably stumbled upon this secret, but she from following the Cat Noir side around, and Marinette following the Adrien Agreste side.

Studying her friend as she tapped away, though, she decided it might be better to wait a little longer… There was a softness overtaking the pig-tailed girl's facial expressions, betraying her affection for the person she was writing about. She must be getting carried away in listing all of Cat Noir, AKA Adrien's qualities. Nope, she wasn't over him yet… that look said it all. For the emotional stability of her friend, Alya resolved herself to keeping the conversation tonight away from Adrien / Cat Noir, and instead on this mysterious _"Felix"_. That should give her a push in the right direction, so that her hopelessly unrequited love could move on. Besides, she needed to find out more about this _"Felix"_ person if he was going to have a hold on her best friend's heart.

* * *

" _Curiosity killed the cat."_ Adrien knew this expression well. Yet despite his usual care to be wary given his strong connection to felines, he felt an overwhelming desire to know what Alya and Marinette had written. Periodically throughout class he would refresh the Cat Noir _"Thank You"_ page to see if it had posted yet. He reasoned that they'd probably paused their progress in favor of being studious and paying attention in class, yet that didn't stop him from hitting the refresh button over… and over… and over…

"Pssst, you okay?" Nino asked in a hushed tone, jarring Adrien from his tunneled focus.

"Uh, yeah…" Adrien whispered back, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice. It was rather risky, talking out loud, especially when you sat in the very front. In order to be more covert, he chose to scribble down the rest of his reply: _"I've just got a lot on my mind is all."_

Nino took the notebook Adrien slid in his direction and hastily jotted down a response: _"Hey, don't worry, dude. I've got ya covered!"_

" _?"_

" _I mean I can give you advice… about what to expect and how to prepare for the dance. That's what you're worried about, right?"_

" _Um… What's there to prepare for?"_

" _Aw man, we've got a lot to work on. There's how you're supposed to dress, knowing what colors your 'date' is going to wear so you can pick out a corsage… Wait, do you even know how to dance?"_

" _Um… what's a 'corsage'? But come on, bro. I totally know how to dance! Didn't you see me at the birthday party you threw for me last year?"_

" _If you'll recall, I was also akumatized at that party, so no, I don't remember a blessed thing about it. A corsage is basically a flower bracelet. Technically, you should wear a matching boutonniere if you wanna be real fancy about it."_

" _Teach me more, sensei."_

" _LOL, you watch too much anime, dude. But sure, just this once, I'll take you under my wing. How about I teach you some more during lunch break? I think the teacher's beginning to get suspicious of the slidey noises this notebook is making."_

" _Sorry, Nino… I actually have plans for lunch already. How about after school? Wanna have a study night? I could also use whatever pointers you have for a family dinner… I've never been to one, and Marinette's parents asked me over before the dance."_

" _WHAT!? Why didn't you tell me sooner!? Not good, bro… not after what you've told me about not wanting to lead Marinette on and all that."_

" _?"_

" _We'll talk later; teacher's ears are twitching."_

* * *

Lunch break finally came, and Adrien couldn't help but stall a bit when he saw that Marinette had at last posted her reply to 'Anonymous'. Time was limited, he knew, but the urge to read what she had to say about Cat Noir was simply overwhelming. Finding a secluded spot, he hastily scrolled to the comment in question and focused on her response:

 _Dear Anonymous,_

 _I realize you have concerns, and I'll admit, I've had my own in the past… but I don't know of anyone more qualified to defend Paris than Cat Noir. Not only does he have the physical strength and reflexes, but more importantly… He's got a heart big enough for all of Paris. You may not see it, but I've seen him, with my own two eyes, putting the well-being of Parisians first. When the cameras stop rolling, he's still there, following up with the victims of the attack, just to check that they're alright and ask if there's anything further he can do. I've never met anyone else so keen on doing whatever he has to in order to lend a helping hand. Even when he isn't actively being Cat Noir, I can't help but think that his civilian identity is doing the same. So no, I don't think Paris has anything to worry about concerning Cat Noir. It's the absence of Cat Noir that would truly require Paris to worry. So if you're reading this, Cat Noir, please know that I wouldn't want anyone else taking your place. You've done a top-notch job so far and I know you won't let us down. So don't let comments like the above get you down! I know I speak for everyone, even Ladybug, when I say that you're pawsome! Keep it up! ~ Marinette Dupain Cheng_

Adrien couldn't move, yet a warm front was steadily moving up his neck and face. It was too much for him to handle… How could someone think so highly of him? And to speak his language doing so!? He had involuntarily smiled when he had read the pun, as it had been so unexpected. _"That's right… I remember now… there was that one time I cracked a pun a little while ago and Marinette laughed at it. I'm so glad I'm not the only one in class who likes puns! I'll have to start telling her some more!"_

"Oi!" hissed a small voice from inside his jacket, "Aren't you forgetting our little deal?"

"Sorry, Plagg! I just got distracted! Let's head out now!"

Though now that he was on his way to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, he found himself unsure how to react if he ran into Marinette… After the kind words she had for his alter-ego, he was left in awe of just how awesome – or, to put it her way, 'pawsome' – she was. She seemed to always think the best of people… Just like Ladybug… Well, there was the fact that Ladybug seemed to have a big problem with liars… He couldn't help but wonder how Marinette felt about liars. She seemed like a rather straight-forward person herself, so perhaps she wouldn't be so enthusiastic about defending Cat Noir if she knew he was right under her nose, deceiving her every day as Adrien.

* * *

Marinette dashed towards home after she hit the 'submit' button on the Ladyblog. She had barely managed to finish the message by the end of classes, as she had edited the message over and over again, wanting it to be perfect. She'd nearly made a big blunder by the end though… but Tikki had managed to save her skin by tugging on her arm right before she submitted it, catching her just in time to change the signature. Marinette had the mentality of Ladybug encouraging her partner, but she'd all but forgotten that she was using Alya's phone and Alya had known she was writing a response to the anonymous comment. Sure, she could make up some story about thinking Cat Noir would only take Ladybug seriously, but still, Marinette couldn't risk Alya putting two and two together… not after the big textbook fiasco. She'd quickly changed the message so that she could post it as Marinette, managing to post it just as class was letting out.

"Ah, Marinette," Tom called as he hurried past Marinette on his way out, "Glad you're here on time! Lunch is in the fridge, and I just put a batch of croissants into the oven. Be sure to take them out when the timer goes off!"

"I will, Papa! Goodbye! Love you!" she yelled after her father's retreating form, making her way towards the back of the bakery.

Thankful that no one had arrived for lunch just yet, Marinette gobbled down her lunch as quickly as she could before grabbing an apron and washing up. From the back, she heard the chime of the front door bell alerting her that she had a customer. Hurriedly drying her hands, the baker-in-training sprinted out to the front, narrowly avoiding a large sack of flour that her parents had left in the passageway.

" _Marinette: 1, Sack: 0. I feel so graceful today!"_

"Hello, how may I help yo-" Marinette began, reciting the customary speech, but her breath hitched before she could finish, surprised at who the customer was. "A-Adrien! Hi! What brings you here?"

" _Doh! Stutter: 1, Marinette 0. And you were doing so well 'til now… He just caught you off guard; hang in there!"_

"Hey, Marinette! I was just hoping I could buy…"

* * *

Crap. He hadn't thought this far ahead. He had devised such a detailed plan, too. How could he have forgotten this bit of it! What good was it to plan to go to Marinette's place under the guise of buying some food for lunch when you didn't even consider what you should actually buy!?

"Um, well, something…" he finished feebly but honestly, eyes casting about nervously now that his plan had been derailed so soon on the route.

"Indecisive?" Marinette suggested helpfully, and Adrien greedily latched on to it, thankful she hadn't noticed anything amiss and inadvertently fixed the hole in his plan.

"Yes! That's it! I mean… I just… Everything looks so good, and smells so good… I have no idea what I should get! Do you have any recommendations?"

With a cheery and warm smile that made Adrien feel guilty that he was essentially lying to her - well, more than he already was, every single day - Marinette suggested he try the croissants, as they would be fresh and hot out of the oven if he was willing to wait about ten minutes. Perfect. Without even knowing it, she was helping his plan along perfectly!

"Um, would it be possible to use the restroom?" he hazarded, only just now realizing that it was an awkward question… especially now that a certain _"No public restroom"_ sign just caught his eye. Great. Now he was lying to Marinette AND coercing her into breaking store rules.

"Sure!" She responded, apparently having no problem with law-breakers and rebels, "If you just take the staircase through there, it'll be the second door on your left!"

Reaching the bathroom, Adrien locked the door and summoned Plagg so he could quickly survey some nearby rooftops that would make a suitable drop-off spot for the kwami. Finding a promising spot that he would be able to access without any kwami assistance, Cat Noir returned to the Dupain-Cheng household, landing deftly on the balcony.

Quite pleased with himself for being so efficient, he didn't notice the click of a latch as he swung the first leg over the side of the railing.

* * *

"Wait, hold on, Mamma; I can barely hear you. If you can hear me, I'm just gonna try to step outside and get a better signal real quick. Hang on!" Since going upstairs hadn't worked to clear up the signal, Marinette now climbed the ladder to her loft, hoping that an uninterrupted signal would clear up the connection. Brushing the flour off her hands before she gripped the ladder rungs (all the while lamenting the fact that the sack of flour had won round two and tripped her up when she ran past it to come upstairs), she unlatched the hatch and hoisted herself up to her balcony.

A rather unexpected sight greeted her as she beheld Cat Noir, of all people, standing with one leg hinged over the railing, like he was just about to leave… or just arriving.

"Cat Noir!?" She blurted before she could stop herself. As it was, she had barely stopped herself from dropping the phone in her shock. She dearly hoped the connection was still bad and that her mother hadn't heard her words just now.

A million and one thoughts flooded her mind as she tried to fathom what on earth he'd be doing here: _'Oh no! Did he somehow find out I'm Ladybug and came to confront me? No wait, that's the worst possible conclusion! There's got to be a more reasonable explanation! Think, Marinette, what business would Cat Noir have with Marinette!? Oh! Did he see my post on the Ladyblog? Did he come to talk about it? Why would he need to talk about it? Did he not believe I was telling the truth? Did he believe it and come to thank me? Oh no! What if he read between the lines and found out that my admiration for him may be a little biased by this crush I've been developing!? Did he come to flirt or get more attention!? Gah, this is what I've always feared… that he's just a player who thrives off the attentions of women… Oh, just calm yourself, Marinette; you're jumping to the worst possible conclusion again!'_

* * *

Cat Noir gulped involuntarily, feeling like he'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. _'Wait, there's no way she'd be able to know that I was here scoping the place out because I'm having dinner with her and her family tomorrow…. Just act cool, natural… and try to come up with a reasonable, non-stalker excuse… Okay, just… breathe…. And make eye contact, because avoiding it is the first sign of a liar…'_

The moment their eyes met, however, his mind went blank, the void beginning to fill once more with guilt and panic.

" _Marinette? Are you still there?"_ A voice that Adrien recognized as Marinette's mother rang out from the cell phone the petrified girl in front of him held, which seemed to snap her out of it.

She turned her back to him as she started to whisper into her phone, so Cat Noir took the opportunity to do the most honorable, sensible thing he could think of…. He bolted.

As quickly and as quietly as he could, Cat Noir scaled the side of the house back to the bathroom window where Adrien had supposedly been taking his sweet old time. If asked about the hold-up, he'd tell her it was the 'model in him' and that he'd spent the whole time preening in front of the mirror. It was a vain excuse that made him cringe every time he used something like it, but it was the best he had. No one would confront the famous Adrien Agreste on his methods. Cat Noir, on the other hand, randomly showing up on the balconies of young girls… could you blame a guy for panicking?

Releasing his transformation, Adrien did a once-over in the mirror – just to make his preening story true, of course… not because he was nervous that he still looked guilty or anything – straightening a few stray strands of hair before making his exit. He descended the stairs, faster than he needed to, for he was anxious to leave the premise as soon as possible. He knew he risked further scrutiny for suspicious behavior, but his nerves were shot, and he feared he wouldn't be able to keep up the calm façade much longer. It was thus both a blessing and a curse when he found the café empty. The comfort of true solitude would have to wait a little longer, but at least he had a few moments to compose himself and look natural before Marinette returned.

* * *

"Don't worry, Mom, I'll be sure to start the next batch of macaroons for you. I've got to go now; the croissants need to be taken out of the oven soon – " Marinette began, hoping that she'd have enough time to find out what Cat Noir was doing on her roof before she had to go back downstairs, " – so I'll see you later! Goodbye! Love you!"

Hanging up the phone after quickly resolving her call, Marinette whirled back around, feeling the need to get this over with, even though she didn't feel prepared at all. "So, Cat – "

Her greeting fell on the uncaring ears of the wind, for where Cat Noir had been standing moments ago was now empty.

If she thought her emotions were in disarray at seeing him so unexpectedly, then they must have been completely calm and orderly, because they couldn't compare to the confusion she felt now at his absence. What were these feelings, and why did she have them? Was she angry that he'd left without so much as an explanation? Happy that she didn't have to face the awkward situation? Fearful that it had all just been a random coincidence and meant nothing to him? Relieved that she didn't have to explain herself? And was this… loneliness? In hindsight, it seemed that his presence had sparked a bit of joy at getting to see him though she hadn't been expecting it… and the emptiness that she now felt at that joy being ripped away so unexpectedly… Was this what they called 'longing'?

The faint beep of a kitchen timer drew Marinette out of her contemplation, prompting her to action. Reminding herself that she had bakery duties to attend to, she scurried down the ladder to her bedroom, raced off down the stairs to the floor below, and practically flew down the last flight into the bakery. Making it just in time for the last beep of the alarm, Marinette nearly forgot to don oven mitts before removing the batch of croissants from the oven. Now she just had to let them cool momentarily before she could remove them from the baking sheet and put them out on display.

"Wow, those smell amazing," a voice exclaimed from the direction of the café.

The junior baker bristled at the unexpected noise. _"Oh no! How could I have forgotten I have a customer!? And Adrien at that!? I'm being such a lousy host!"_

Rushing to place one of the croissants into a box for him, Marinette sealed it with a _"T &S" _logo sticker and hurried out to the front… where that darned sack of flour lay waiting, primed for attack. The croissant box went flying as she lost her footing, and she silently cursed the fact that the score now stood at Marinette: 1, Sack of flour: 2.

"Are you okay?" Adrien's concerned voice reached her from the other side of the service counter, hinting at an unspoken question as to whether it would be okay for him to step beyond the _"Employees Only"_ bounds and lend her a helping hand. Her pride wouldn't allow it, however, so with all the residual grace she could muster, Marinette pulled herself back up, vainly trying to brush off the flour now dusting every inch of her.

' _Great, I must look like a white-washed bride of Frankenstein. In front of Adrien, no less. At least this didn't happen before I decided to let him go… I guess right now I don't have much to lose.'_

"I'm fine; thanks for asking. I'm so sorry about your croissant, though, I'll go fetch you another," she announced, still too shy to meet his eyes or even look in his direction.

"Nah, that's okay; I caught the one you lost your grip on."

Marinette's eyes snapped up at this, and she felt her heart skip a beat as that dazzling, reassuring smile graced his lips. It didn't help that he was looking gorgeous as usual, not a hair out of place.

' _Great. Just great. This could be a scene out of "Beauty and the Freak", where the beauty is Adrien Agreste and the freak is played by yours truly. Truly excellent casting job.'_

"Wait, you caught that?" Marinette blurted, her amazement taking over. The only other person who'd managed to do so, after years of practice, was her father. No one else had ever managed to keep up with her spaz-tastic klutziness.

"Er, yeah…" Adrien replied, sheepishly grinning.

"Wow… you must have cat-like reflexes!"

* * *

Adrien was sure they were quite a pair to behold now. Marinette was dusted in flour, but Adrien must be white as a ghost at the moment, his panic in full-throttle.

' _Oh crap, she's on to me! Why else would she compare me to a cat after just seeing Cat Noir? This is a test, isn't it? She has her suspicions, but she hasn't confirmed them, right? Don't lose your cool, Agreste, keep it together!'_

"Er, I, uh… I wouldn't say _cat_ -like reflexes… More like… my own brand of assertive and aggressive action! Like, _Agreste-ive_ action!" He blundered through while his mind buzzed with adrenaline, feeding him ridiculous suggestions at an alarming rate. The result was no doubt a train wreck, but the damage was done, nothing more he could do about it. He studied her for a reaction, but mostly she just looked confused.

Now that his mind had had a chance to calm down a little, he found himself taking in her appearance a little more in-depth… Her hair was in disarray from her attempts to brush the flour out of it, her cheeks were tinged with pink despite their white coating, and her petite lips were puckered in contemplation while her nose crinkled, accentuating the freckles across her cheeks. Those eyes… those striking eyes the color of a clear afternoon sky that somehow held the twinkle of the night's stars in their depths… The eyes that looked so much like Ladybug's… How was it that someone could still look so cute even when coated in flour? Marinette must be a blessed girl indeed.

A small chuckle pulled him back to reality, and he was pleased to see her features light up with laughter. "There you go again, Adrien… You've recently taken an interest in puns after all," she accused, and he could've kicked himself for using a pun right after he was nearly caught as Cat Noir… If she was suspicious of him before, puns were a sure way to add to her suspicions, being such a trademark quality of Cat Noir.

Feeling increasingly more self-conscious, Adrien cast about for a response, as he wasn't sure what he could say to that. A grumble in his stomach gave him an excuse to change the subject, so he said, "Ah, sorry, Marinette. I've got a lot to do before classes start this afternoon, so I'm going to have to take my leave. How much do I owe you?"

"Oh! Uh…" Marinette fumbled around until she found the pricing menu, told him the price, and rang up the sale on the cash register.

Handing her a bill that would cover the expense, Adrien thanked her and made his way to the door, eager to recollect his nerves in private before classes.

"Adrien! Wait!" Marinette called, forcing him to turn back. "Your change!"

"Oh, don't worry about; keep the change," he replied with a smile.

"Er, well, that's generous of you, but you don't have to."

"Well I want to. Besides, it's not appropriate for models to jingle," he assured with a wink before thinking it through. Crap, he had just sounded so silly and flirtatious… just like Cat Noir.

But to his surprise, she merely laughed, placing the coins in a bowl next to the register. "I'm sure the next patron or two who's running a little low on cash will be grateful. Thank you, Adrien."

"Oh, no problem! Happy to help!" he replied, simply but sincerely. He hadn't realized such a practice existed, so the realization that he'd just indirectly helped someone out made the day look just a little brighter. Somehow, Marinette seemed to always accomplish that in one way or another… It was like he could count on her to put a positive spin on any situation, and he couldn't thank his lucky stars enough to have such a positive influence for a friend.

Reaching the door, Adrien paused just long enough to say, "See you later, Marinette!" and headed out the door as she yelled her response.

"Goodbye! Love you!"

* * *

Marinette froze, refusing to believe that she'd just vocalized what she thought she heard. Panic overwhelmed her and her feet followed her subconscious instruction to retreat, slowly starting to step backwards in an attempt to put distance between herself and Adrien.

' _Please let him not have heard that! Please let him not have heard that! Please let him not have heard that!'_ she chanted to herself, but it was proven in vain when he turned back to face her, wide-eyed and similarly frozen in place, confirming her worst fears.

Continuing to retreat, her eyes remained focused on him, her determination to explain herself the only thing keeping her from turning heel and fully retreating to her room to lament the death of her reputation. Would she now be known as the girl who casually confessed her love to random people? Finally finding her voice, Marinette stammered, "S-Sorry! I-I just… I always say that – not to just anyone! I mean, I-I-I say it to my f-family all the t-time a-and when I'm on the phone and I w-was just on the phone with mom and-and – "

The rest of her explanation was cut off when her backwards steps led her once again into the path of a certain troublesome sack of flour.

' _Marinette: 1, Flour: 3'_

* * *

 **Closing Remarks**

 **Lunchbreaks in Paris** – When I first watched through the show, it struck me as weird that in various episodes, we see both Adrien and Marinette eating at home for lunch. It wasn't quite as weird for Marinette since she lives literally right next to the school, but for Adrien, who has to be driven to and from, it seemed rather odd. So I looked into it. Apparently, French schoolchildren typically get anywhere from an hour to two whole hours for lunch! Then I found out that it's their biggest (3-4 courses) and most social meal of the day… Essentially their 'dinnertime'… So going home on your lunchbreak isn't meant to only be because you have time to kill, but so that you can spend quality time with your family. This made the scene in _"The Bubbler"_ where Adrien went home on his lunch break on his birthday… only to spend it alone and with only a croissant to eat that much more heartbreaking. So I thought I'd share that tidbit of information with you guys in case you're not familiar with the culture. At least in America, such long lunchbreaks are practically unheard of… The higher your grade, the shorter amount of time you got for lunch and you would only be able to leave campus if you had a study hall period immediately before or after lunch to provide enough time to make it worth it…. But even if you got to do that, you'd typically spend it with friends, grabbing something quick at a fast food restaurant. Dinner is the meal we eat the most and socialize the most. So in light of this, Marinette's parents going out on errands during lunchtime is very strange for the culture, and an indication of just how much they bent over backwards to accommodate their daughter – a much more loving gesture in that culture than in America in light of this information. (Though some might argue that by not having lunch together, they're not encourage familial bonding, but from what I've seen of their family dynamic in the show, they're confident enough in their love for each other to break traditions like this.) The one thing that might not work with this setup is that businesses also typically shut down for the sacred lunch hour(s), so don't ask me where the Dupain-Chengs were able to run any of their errands. Heh heh… I'd like to think they just have really close ties with their providers and those providers were willing to make an exception this one time and let them pick up the goods during their lunch breaks. I also have to believe that even though businesses typically close, the food industry places (such as the Dupain-Cheng's bakery) would be open during this lunch time in order to sell their food to those on their lunch breaks.

 **Sandwiches and condiments in Paris** – I wanted to make Adrien's sandwich escapades believable, so I did a little digging into what Parisians usually eat on their sandwiches. Turns out it's not too different from what you'd find in America, overall… Whereas ham and turkey are the most popular sandwich meats in America, it's ham and roast beef in France, though it doesn't seem like you'll see them together on the same sandwich too often, so Adrien's a goofball for this, but what else is new? As for condiments, I don't think you'll ever really see mayonnaise in France like you do in America; you'll see either Dijon mustard or butter… At least, this is all according to the Googles, so if you have any first-hand exposure to French culture and foods, I'd love to hear the truth from you! Leave me a review or PM!

 **Adrien watching anime** – Though this isn't shown explicitly in the show (yet), this fact was confirmed by Thomas Astruc on his twitter, where he stated that it's a very popular pastime in France. As a fellow anime-enthusiast, I extrapolated that this meant Adrien and Nino would both be familiar with Japanese titles such as 'sensei' (which means 'teacher', for anyone reading this who may not be so familiar with anime). Titles like this were one of the first things me and my friends picked up on when watching anime, since it's such a large part of the culture portrayed in the shows. I debated whether I should use 'sensei' or 'senpai' (meaning upperclassman or tutor – a student who is above you, but not a teacher) in this chapter, but ultimately decided on sensei. I believe either word could apply here, but even if 'senpai' was the more applicable word, I wanted to use 'sensei', for reasons that will be revealed in a later chapter.

 **Cat Noir talking to akuma victims** – In the episode _"Lady Wifi",_ Cat Noir can be seen in the background of a news broadcast, kneeling in front of a victim wearing a shock blanket, presumably speaking words of encouragement to them. I presume this means he does this whenever he hasn't used his cataclysm and thus can spare the time. He's such a cinnamon roll, of course he does.

 **The big textbook fiasco** – This is referring to the episode _"The Pharaoh",_ where Ladybug had dropped a history textbook and Alya retrieved it, deducing that Ladybug must go to her high school, because they were the only school that used that textbook. Alya told Marinette she wouldn't rule her out as a suspect until she was able to produce her own copy of the textbook. Marinette managed to steal the textbook back and narrowly avoid getting caught.

 **The 'model in him' excuse** – This was used at least once before in the episode _"Volpina",_ though I can't recall if it was used in any other episodes. Let me know I missed any!

 **Not appropriate for models to jingle** – This is a reference to a similar line in "The Princess Diaries" movie, where Queen Clarisse is explaining why she never carries currency… at least not the coin variety. I couldn't resist the urge to make a comparison here with Adrien… I can just imagine a similar rule would be in place for him, with all the crazy requirements for appearance and branding his father might push onto him.

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